Israel is preparing for a wave of immigration due to the war between Russia and Ukraine. Although most of the attention has been on refugees from Ukraine, some in Israel are already setting up plans to absorb large numbers of immigrants from neighboring Russia.
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Sanctions on Russia, the economic situation there, and concerns of possible restrictions on individual rights could lead many Russians to come to Israel.
According to Aliyah and Integration Ministry Director-General Ronen Cohen, "There are a lot of inquiries and requests for immigration visas for Jews from Russia. There are a lot more inquiries to the Jewish Agency, and this whole event is directed at tens of thousands of immigrants if not more. In my mind, there is something tectonic here, a significant demographic shift, and therefore we are preparing accordingly to bring them to the State of Israel as well as integrate them."
Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked said earlier this week that the "State of Israel is preparing for a large wave of immigration. The potential is over 200,000 in Ukraine and over 600,000 in Russia.
In the first stage, a few hundred refugees will arrive from Ukraine, but the flow of refugees will grow. In accordance with guidelines issued by Shaked and Immigration and Integration Minister Pnina Tamno-Shata, the refugee immigrants will receive a one-time 6,000 shekel (around $1800) grant in addition to the immigration basket of financial assistance. Couples will receive around 11,000 shekels (around $3,300 dollars), while families will receive around 15,000 shekels (around $5,000) from the state. The Immigration and Integration Ministry has likewise rented thousands of hotel rooms to provide temporary housing in Tel Aviv, Beersheba, Jerusalem, and Nof Hagalil. It also plans to provide immigrants with emotional assistance.
"We know that in Ukraine, there are between 200,000 and 500,000 Jews eligible [to immigrate according to] the Law of Return because not everyone declares this …." Cohen said. According to Cohen, the fact that men aged 18 to 60 are barred from leaving Ukraine is "a barrier to immigration for some families – but if that is canceled, there will be a greater mass of immigrants who follow their families, neighbors, and community."
According to Russia expert and former lawmaker Dr. Roman Bronfman, "There are in Ukraine and Russia hundreds of thousands of people eligible for the Law of Return. I don't believe all those eligible will make aliyah to Israel. We can expect some 100,000 Jews from Ukraine and 250,000 Jews from Russia. Those are huge numbers, and these would be two very different [waves of] aliyah. The human capital is different. In Ukraine, there are more people eligible to make aliyah from the lower classes - less educated - and they will arrive as refugees, with nothing, with very limited ability to rehabilitate, and that will be a problem."
He said that "by contrast, the Russians belong to the middle class, are more educated, and their fear stems from dwindling individual rights. They're worried a state of emergency will be declared that will include a draft, and they won't be able to leave the country."
According to Bronfman, a large mass of immigrants will cause problems with integration in housing and employment when those in the free professions and managers arrive here. "I don't know how they will integrate in Israel," Bronfman said. "Maybe they will try to continue to roam or work online. On the other hand, immigration from Ukraine will be very poor and will need to receive assistance and rehabilitation from the government institutions in a very short time."
For her part, Tamno-Shata said: "I declared an emergency operation, and the teams are working day and night to provide a full package to immigrants from the moment they land. We are aware of the difficulties the immigrants come with, and we stand with them."
On Monday, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Tamno-Shata announced National Insurance Institute Director-General Meir Spiegler would head Israel's national task force on immigration from Ukraine and Russia.
Spiegler, 63, previously served as head of the Jewish National Fund and the director-general of the Religious Services Ministry. Within his new role, Spiegler will integrate the government's handling of the immigrants' integration in accordance with a variety of officials, including the relevant government ministries, the Jewish Agency, and the Prime Minister's Office's Nativ bureau that serves as a liaison to Jewish communities in the former Soviet Union, under the supervision of the Prime Minister's Office.
On Monday, Bennett welcomed Spiegler's appointment, saying, "Meir is a man of action, who serves the State of Israel in a series of roles in the public sector. Together, we will rise up to this sacred mission yet again."
Not everyone, however, approved of Spiegler's appointment. Some in the veteran immigrant community from the former Soviet Union and various groups representing them lamented that the government did not see fit to appoint someone who immigrated to Israel from the former Soviet Union to the position.
One prominent activist in the field of immigration now working to assist the immigrants from Ukraine, said, "It's a shame that out of over a million Israelis who made aliyah to Israel from former Soviet states over the years, they couldn't find one person who understands the issues of aliyah and integration in-depth and experienced aliyah themselves in the past."
"This is a badge of shame for the integration of the previous aliyah, which did not succeed in appointing an adequately senior public official to integrate the new aliyah. I hope we don't encounter the same pitfalls we've dealt with in the past. We must learn from mistakes and not repeat them," they said.
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